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| Lights of Hope 2020 |
Cancer does not affect just the patient. It is a "whole family" disease. Caregiving is also exhausting as we watch our loved ones suffer.
Every year, there is an event called "Lights of Hope." This is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. They sell bags in memory or in honor of loved ones affected by cancer. On a normal year, these luminary bags are taken to Washington DC and displayed at night around the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. Because of COVID-19, this was not advisable, so our local bags were displayed on the steps of City Hall.
ACSCAN is the arm of the American Cancer Society that lobbies for more funds for cancer research, for cancer prevention, and access to healthcare among other things. To read more about what they do, go here: https://www.fightcancer.org.
Last year, I participated in a group effort to paint the bags to get them ready to go to Washington. It was not feasible to do that this year. I have a loved one currently fighting cancer and I needed something to do to help keep my mind occupied when I was not preoccupied with this person (who prefers not to be mentioned on any kind of social media or blog!) and my hands busy. So, I volunteered to paint them this year. I started out with the first 71, painting and stenciling flowers, butterflies. trees, and baseball things for a teen boy and a young man who are fans of the sport. After I finished those, Miss Pearl had just a few more. I volunteered again. That turned out to be about 46. Got those done. The week they were due, Miss Pearl ended up in the hospital. There were just a few more. Yep, I volunteered! I finished the last one around midnight on the Friday night before they were due to be displayed that Saturday! 148 in all.
As I painted, I said a prayer for each person who is still fighting cancer. I pray also for a day when there will be no more of this horrible disease on the face of this Earth.
